Image: Courtesy Trevor Doyle |
There’ s a famous saying in the sporting world that goes,“ If you’ re good enough, you’ re old enough,” which gets used when a young athlete takes on older, more experienced athletes. There are coaches, psychologists and sports scientists that will tell you that a youngster should not be rushed into top level competition, because their body may not be able to handle the intensity yet, and they may not be mature enough to handle the pressure, which may lead to the young star burning out quickly, much like a shooting star, creating an intense but short-lived burst of energy and excitement, then fading into obscurity or disappearing for good from the sport. Others are able to maintain that initial level that got them their big break – some even get still better as they gain experience. For that reason, I was very glad to read the comments of Hennie Kriel, sprinting coach at the Tuks High Performance Centre in Pretoria, about his two teenaged sprinting prodigies Gift Leotlela and Clarence Munyai, who we feature on page 18. Hennie wrote that he is a firm believer in not pushing young sprinters too hard, so as not to place too much pressure on them, and if he gets it right with these two young men, then I reckon South Africa has a very good chance of challenging for both individual and relay medals for a good few years to come, given that they will be joining the already established roster of senior SA sprinters who have done so well this past year, like Akani Simbine, Henricho Bruintjies and Wayde van Niekerk.
Both Gift and Clarence qualified for the Rio Olympics while still attending high school, and though they didn’ t get past the first round of the men’ s 200m heats, they picked up invaluable experience of competition at that level, which should help them push on and achieve still more in the sport. But for now, they’ ve proven that being young does not mean you cannot compete with the best. Similarly, the article in our cycling section about the ever-growing Spur Schools Mountain
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Biking League( page 52) points to the fact that there is a rich vein of emerging talent in this country. It just needs to be nurtured.
Older Generation
On the opposite end of the age scale, we feature 85-year-old road runner Deidre Larkin( page 16), who continues to set world records in her age group while racking up podium finishes in races. Having only started running at 78, to combat osteoporosis, it is incredible to see her averaging 60 races a year, on top of still working full-time as a piano teacher! As she says herself, some people think that you’ re supposed to stop moving when you reach your 60s, but she proves that growing older should not stop you from living life to the fullest.
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Another article that touches on the age issue is the Doyle family feature on page 20. I am fortunate to include the Doyle brothers, Colin and Trevor, and their kids, amongst my running friends, and always enjoy their irreverent humour, no matter how tough the going gets. Both brothers also took up running quite late in life, and I love the way they motivate their kids in sport, not just by paying for entries and driving them to events, but also joining them in events. It’ s a brilliant way to bring the next generation through.
Speaking of irreverent humour, I really enjoyed the race report by Jurgen Stringer( page 48), who won a team entry into the FNB Wines2Whales mountain biking event through the mag, courtesy of organisers Stillwater Sports. It is fun and inspiring to read about two mates just going out there to enjoy themselves as much as possible, in spite of racing hard for three days. My kind of people!
Sean Falconer
Follow me on Twitter: @ sean _ falconer Follow the mag as well: @ modern _ athlete
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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Regulars: Christine Peters, Delaine Cools( Comrades), Derick Marcisz, Ernest Cooper, Jeannie Jordaan, Kyle Deeley, Nonkululeko Mdlalose( Comrades), Norrie Williamson, Pierre Ferreirra, Rachel Pienaar, Ray Orchison, René Kalmer, Riël Hauman, Roxanne Martin, Sean Falconer, The Gentleman Racer, Tom Cottrell Guest Writers: Bev Leal, Desiree Dickinson, Frankie Hunt, Helen Webb, Jurgen Stringer, Lizette Du Plessis, Nadri Zitzke, Samanth Lange, Tau Sedisa
COVER IMAGE Pablo Lancaster Jones
IMAGES Photo Agencies & Professional photographers: Cactus Images, Chris Hitchcock, Christiaan Kotze / SASPA, Fotolia, Janos Schmidt / UTI, Jetline Action Photo, Pablo Lancaster Jones, Reg Caldecott, Ronel Atherstone, Tobias Ginsberg, Volume Photography Non-professional photographers: Moegsien Ebrahim, Sanet Du Toit Courtesy: An-Li Kachelhoffer, Bev Leal, Burton Haupt, Claudia Hazelwood, Comrades Marathon Association, Coronation Double Century, Cycling SA, Cuan Walker, Deon Steyn, Desiree Dickinson, Doyle family, Garmin, IAAF, Jeannie Jordaan, Jurgen Stringer, Karen Thomas, K-Way VOB AC, Lizette Du Plessis,, Lynelle van Tonder, Mohlapa Mogowe, Nadri Zitzke, Neil Meyerowitz, Ntando Mahlangu, Randburg Harriers, René Kalmer, Ricky Nelson, Tanya Ho, Team Dimension Data, The Gentleman Racer, Trevor Doyle, Vusi Nkabinde, Wikimedia, and various Race Organisers, Athletes & PR companies
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WINNERS’ CORNER Congratulations to all the winners of our December edition competitions.
HAVE YOUR SAY Win adidas Supernova Glide Boost running shoes for the winning letter Alison Faherty, Johannesburg
ATHLETES IN ACTION Win New Balance Fresh Foam trail running shoes for the winning photo Marc Bester, Cape Town
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